


The Most Beautiful Flowers.

by chwefilter



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Angst and Tragedy, Blood, Character Death, M/M, Suicide, Tragedy, Zombie Apocalypse, gay implication
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-16
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-03-13 21:21:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28784856
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chwefilter/pseuds/chwefilter
Summary: Blind and sick, Minghao gets stuck on a hospital room after a huge zombie apocalypse happens while he's being treated. Depressed, he stays inside his room for days after seeing everything turning into mayhem until he meets Vernon, a boy who just lost his friends and wants to help him get out of that terrible place. A car ride reveals shocking secrets about the two boys while they try to get to the Flower Plateau, the place with the most beautiful flowers Minghao has ever seen.
Relationships: Chwe Hansol | Vernon/Xu Ming Hao | The8
Kudos: 6





	The Most Beautiful Flowers.

**Author's Note:**

> English is not my mother tongue, so this work may contain typos.

The rain fell to the ground and made noise when it hit the awning that protected the window, causing the boy to rummage uncomfortably in the hospital bed in which he was. There was an access (already empty) on his arm and a respirator for inhalational anesthesia was dropped on the bed, but there was also nothing left in the huge cylinder dropped near the bed, next to the blood stains.

Two tampons hid his eyes and deprived him of seeing, but he had heard everything from the day it all began. First, it started with a buzz outside the hospital room. The two nurses left in a hurry and the doctor at least did him the favor of untying the restraints that put him in bed, telling him he would be back in a moment.

They hadn't treated his injuries yet, so he wasn't seeing anything. He waited for what appeared to be 10 minutes until he began to hear the screams, which froze his spine and could still be heard whenever he went silent, remembering that chaotic day. He heard footsteps and all the mayhem outside, but the anesthesia began to take effect. Panicked, Minghao just prayed that no one would come in and hurt him.

He woke up a while later, not knowing what happened. He managed to disconnect the respirator and drag the access with him as he staggered around the room, arriving at the window. One of the tampons not even moved while the other brought blood and a strange crust with it, but the boy’s infected eyelids didn't even open. A simple crack let him see from the outside.

Walking slowly, the zombie-like people were around the entire building. Human remains and newly transformed people were lying all over the floor outside, which had pieces of brain, skin and blood littering everything. Cars exploded or still on fire were scattered across the street and the sky was cloudy, being the sour cherry on the top of that rotten cake. 

Many would panic and try to escape, but the redhead just accepted his fate and laid on the bed again after sticking a new tampon to his injured eye, lying on the bed and pretending that nothing was happening outside. He didn't know how long it's been like this. 

Until the day the door opened.

He was so immersed in his melancholy that he thought he was delirious, but he heard the door closing from the inside and became static. He had his back facing the person who came in, so they didn't know he was awake and listening to everything, and decided to pretend to be dead. Not that it was difficult, due to his stench by the days without bathing and the appearance already sucked by his illness.

He heard the footsteps approaching the bed and chilled, asking all the gods, saints, and entities to have mercy on themselves. A warm hand touched his shoulder and the redhead unintentionally surrendered, lifting his shoulders in shock.

— Hey, you... Are you alive? Can you understand me? — He heard, being surprised.

The fact that he was not a zombie did not exempt the stranger from being someone potentially evil, but still the sick rolled his body belly up and "stared" at the direction from which the voice came, nodding with his head. He didn't know if he still could talk.

— Oh, you're blind. That's great. — The boy's voice tone did not seem to be irony. — Do you want to take a shower? You look terrible. I think they ran away and left you behind.

Smelling his hospital gown, the boy’s nose twisted. He then held out his arm, feeling the other's warm hand hold him again and lift him up. He groaned with discomfort at the access in his vein and then the other seemed to notice the hindrance, sucking the air between his teeth.

— I'm going to have to pull this, okay? — He said, turning around the thin body and holding the needle. — 3, 2, 1...

It was quick and the blood fouled the already dirty floor, causing the sick grunt softly in pain. As if to apologize, the stranger rubbed his shoulders and then pulled him back through the hospital room, opening the door of what he deemed to be the bathroom.

— I'm going to remove your bandages, too. And... Oh, man... I'm going to have to take your clothes off too. — The unknown had good intentions, but seemed extremely disconcerted. Maybe he was young too. — I swear I don't want to do anything wrong.

The other's warm hands undid the knots of the gown and soon the hospital's dirty clothing was on the floor, revealing the redhead's naked and thin body. Reddish spots covered his skin and there was dried blood in some of his orifices, which was a bit odd. He sat down and soon felt the other's hands slowly pulling the tampons, grunting as he felt the scabs of the wounds coming out too. 

— Holy shit... What happened to your eyes? — The stranger asked, taking the shower. — That's going to hurt a lot, man. I am sorry. It's pretty infected. I am going to... Try to clean as much as I can and find eye drops, anti-inflammatory and clean bandages for you.

With faint jets of cold water, the other's careful hands were washing away all the dry blood, pus and crusts of the redhead’s eyes, which only let moans of pain slip from his lips without showing resistance. When the drain was practically clogged with brownish, yellow and red pieces, the stranger used his thumbs to take what was left in the boy's eyes and clean his skin too, sighing with relief at seeing the boy's eyes practically new to leaf, if not for the reddish  scleres and slightly swollen lower eyelids. He found out the redhead's eyes were brown, but he still didn't seem to be seeing.

— Are you blind? Or mute? — He asked, making the blurred eyes of the other aim at his face.

One of the boy's lean, dry hands grabbed the shower of others' hands and then he opened his lips, using the bath water to hydrate. He almost drowned in the process, but soon leaned his head back and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.

— My name is Xu Minghao...

— Oh, I'm sorry, I should have thought you'd been without eating or drinking anything this whole time. — The stranger seemed ashamed. — Mine is Hansol Chwe Vernon.

Minghao could see, but everything was completely blurry and misshapen. Despite this, he could say that the tallest had dark hair and light eyes, maybe honey or amber  coloured . He appeared to wear a camouflage jacket and jeans, which was a little wet, in addition to running shoes. 

— How did you get here? There's a lot of...  _ of them _ ... Outside. — Minghao crisped his lips, feeling some sores spots sting. He took the shower and started washing himself, making the other look away from him. — I think it's been about four or five days since I got here, and the same time since it all started.

— Well, if you've been here since the beginning, then it's been almost two weeks. — Vernon said, seeing the other freeze in place suddenly in one of the glances he threw at him. — It's been a while since I've been trying to get here, actually. I have- had a group, and we mapped the surroundings. This was one of our goals.

— I've heard some noises outside, but I don't think I've ever seen anyone come here to snare. I just listened to the zombies once in a while, and it was... Scary. — The redhead trembled just remembering, raising his hands and managing to knock down the shampoo tubes, conditioner and liquid soap with his fingertips. He used the last one first, wanting to get rid of the bad smell. — Where are the others?

Silence. A tuft of hair devolved down the drain when the boy rubbed his head too hard.

— I'm sorry.

— No, it's okay. — Vernon assured, facing the other. — I'm not the only one alone. Right?

— Yes, it is. My family dragged me here and left, so I'm alone. My older brother was the one who took care of me, but he said he was going to buy me a sandwich a few hours before it all happened. — Minghao murmured, sighing. — I think I lost my friends too, since they came in a group to visit me. There were five in total. 

— And mine were six. This whole thing sucks. 

The two remained silent until the redhead finished their bath, demanding the help of brunette to get up and dry himself. Assuming the backpack in the corner was the boy's, Vernon opened the object and took clean clothes, which consisted of a white-sleeved blouse and black pants. He found very nice sneakers near the bedroom door and also imagined them to be the boy's, picking them up and helping him put on after he had already dressed.

— Look, Minghao. It's total chaos out there. — Vernon murmured, scratching his belly suddenly. — I have a car and I don't have a destination. You... Do you have somewhere to go? 

The redhead seemed to think suddenly as he dry his hair with the towel, staring at a small picture frame positioned on a corner table in the hospital room. He couldn't see straight, but he knew the contents of the photo and smiled.

— I want to go to that place. — He pointed his index finger at the photo. — It's my l... — He seemed to think before he said it. — My wish.

— All right, all right. — Vernon said, taking the frame and putting it in the sick's backpack. — Come with me, we'll get some things for both of us and get out of here. 

  
**[..]**

  
Minghao never thought he needed to be guided by a complete stranger inside a zombie-infested hospital, but that's what happened. Luckily the boy seemed to be very experienced, as they entered the empty infirmary without being noticed by the carnivorous and hungry creatures. 

He was instructed to sit down and then the taller one began to search the room, picking up medical kits, adrenaline syringes, bandages, painkillers, anti-inflammatory drugs and what else the boys' two backpacks could hold. 

— Let me help you. If I put a bandage on you right now, it'll help heal faster. — The other insisted.

The tampons with ointment were placed in Minghao's eyes and a clean bandage was used to hold everything in place, completely capping the boy's vision. He had a pill placed between his lips and swallowed it in the dry, refusing the water bottle that was offered after.

— Come with me. And please don't make any noise or sudden movement. They're blind in the morning, practically, but they hear very well. — He was alerted, nodding his head.

The two resumed the walk and then arrived on the stairs, where the redhead took extra care not to fall or draw attention. He felt the brunette squeeze his hand tightly when they appeared to arrive on the first floor and bit his lower lip, slowing down his steps when he realized that the other, who saw everything, was tense.

He was able to smell rotting meat very close and could swear he felt a hot breath on the back of his head, but he couldn’t stop to confirm who or what was responsible for that. He felt his guide stopping and stopped too, feeling the cold wind and rain hitting his face as he was pulled out. 

— We're coming to my car, put your head down. — He heard the other speak in the rain.

The two walked to Vernon's car, which opened the passenger's door and helped his new friend get in, slamming the door. He ran to the driver's seat and closed the door, grunting as he hugged his own torso and leaned his head against the driver's seat. 

— Is everything all right? — Minghao broke his silence.

— Sure, of course. — Vernon cleared his throat, pulling out with his car.

The engine of the vehicle roared and it were soon moving, slowly at first but suddenly accelerating. A thunderous sound sounded and made the car tremble whole, almost as if something heavy had fallen on top of the bodywork.

— What was that?

— A zombie.

Everything was quiet again.

— I must confess I was a little curious. — The driver decided to bring it up. — It's the second  thundestorm , two days in a row, why do you want to go in an open field? 

— It's because flowers flourish there. — The redhead murmured, opening a little smile. — The most beautiful flowers. 

— Those purple ones? They remind me of a very dark night. What are their names?

— Dark geraniums.

A closed curve threw the bodies to the left and then to the right, causing them to be silent again before laughing softly. Minghao's hand groped the dashboard of the car until he found the radio button, turning it on. 

— Oh, thanks. I was going to do that. — The brunette thanked him.

—  _ The Regional Council of Medicine is searching for a vaccine as soon as possible, but so far the results of the tests on the infected are not promising. Please, if you are listening to this message, protect yourself in a safe place and do not leave.  _

— Where are we going?

— The  _ army is scouring the entire city and surrounding towns in search of survivors, so don't try to get out of security, help will come to you. _

— The GPS is taking a route here, but I know where this place is. I've been there with some friends. Flower Plateau, right?

— The  _ infected, known as  _ _ Kerchs _ _ , are on the loose through the city. We don't have a cure, so be aware of the symptoms. _

— Yes. The view is beautiful, isn't it?

— _ They include nosebleed, vomiting, dizziness, loss of senses, weakness, and ultimately transformation. There are cases of death, which has intrigued scientists about  _ _ possibilities _ _ of people who are immune to the virus. _

— Yes... — Vernon sniffed, suddenly turning off the radio.

— Stop the car.

— What?

— Please!

Abruptly the vehicle was stopped and Minghao's desperate hands fetched the doorknob, opening the door. He only managed to jump into what he thought was the middle of the street and then knelt down, throwing up everything that was left inside himself on the wet asphalt. He swore he heard the sound of someone else vomiting, but the rain drowned out everything. He felt the arms of others wrap around his wet trunk and was lifted, coughing.

— Shit... Are you okay? —Vernon asked near his ear, making a bad smell invade his nose.

— Yeah. I-I'm sorry.

The two returned to the car and a sepulchral silence took over the environment as they advanced to the destination, now with the heater on as the two were shivering with cold. The brunette cleaned the corner of his mouth after a while and took a sip of water, swallowing the sour taste with the liquid.

— Oh, what the fuck? — He suddenly bragged when he saw the line of broken cars. 

— What's going on?

— There's a lot of cars in there. A lot of them. There's no way we can get through, I guess. 

— Ah...

— Hey, relax! I know a shortcut. — Vernon reassured the other.

The car went back for a while until it moved forward after a curve, causing Minghao to wonder where they were going through. He remembered the trips with his friends and how noisy they were. Family trips were like the one he was doing now, but at least Vernon didn't hate him and didn't want him around. He looked like Junhui. 

— Can I ask you a question? — Vernon cut the silence suddenly. — You don't have to answer if you don't want to.   
— Go ahead.

— Why were you in the hospital? 

The question seemed to catch Minghao by surprise, which got static in place. The brunette soon regretted asking the question and was ready to apologize when the other let out a sigh and cleared his throat.

— I have leukemia. The chemo didn't work and I was going to have a transplant. Being sick made me depressed and I tried to kill myself by jumping out of the window, but I survived and got temporarily blind. —He murmured softly, feeling a lump form in his throat. — It was... my last chance. Without the transplant, I only have a month to live. I mean, two weeks, since I spent two weeks in the hospital.

— My God, Hao... — It was the only thing the other could answer, finally understanding the holes in the redhead's head and his appearance so fragile. — I... 

— It's all right. I always knew I was going to end up like this. My family didn't have any more money to keep up with the chemo and the blood transfusions didn't work out, so if my body rejected it, I'd die anyway. — Reassured the boy. —Besides, it were the 19 best-lived years I could have had. I'm going to die happy.

— Then you're older than me! By a year. — The brunette celebrated, trying to dispel the sad mood.

— I'm glad there are people like you. Who can achieve happiness in any situation. — The elder murmured, smiling genuinely. — If I had met more people like you, I could die now without worrying about missing the good times. 

— Don't say that. And, look. I know it's weird, because we literally just met... — Vernon seemed disconcerted, playing with the reddish bar of his white shirt. — But you can count on me to have your... You know. Enjoy these days. 

— You're already doing a lot for me just to accept to carry me back and forth knowing that I'm going to die in two weeks, I'm practically blind and sick. You don't have to do anything else, only your company is enough. 3 Minghao assured, receiving a smile from the other that he could not see but could feel.

The rain seemed to stop and the heater was turned off after a while, as the car was silent after Minghao fell asleep. The journey took more than an hour until the car began to climb the small road, breaking the parking gate stuck in the empty sentry box of the pier, once occupied by a guard when people visited that place for picnics or filming. The car stopped in the parking lot and the youngest turned around.

— Hao? — He slowly shook the shoulders of the boy. — We've arrived. Come on.

— Hm?

— We're here now.

— All right... Can you help me get out? And... I want to take off the tampons.

— Ok.

The driver's door opened and closed, the steps being audible while the youngest turned around in the vehicle. The passenger's door was opened and the heat touched the skin of the boy, who found himself too hot under that sleeve shirt. Hansol's fingers slowly undid the bandage and then the boy's eyes were free.

The sun-rays greeted Minghao's blurry retinas violently, causing the boy to cover his eyes with his hand, but soon he was on the ground and stared at that so inviting purple field, smiling like a fool. He started walking slowly, even though he couldn't see straight.

— Hao, wait! — The youngest cried, leaning on the black  bodyshop and moaning softly, feeling the urge to vomit hit him.

His clear eyes watched the redhead stagger through the field of flowers towards the edge of the plateau with no intention of stopping and began to limp desperately towards the boy, reaching him in a hurry and wrapping his arms around his waist, pulling him back when he realized they were too close to the edge.

— Watch out, you could have fallen down there! — He scolded.

— I'm sorry, I didn't realize it... — Minghao murmured, being released when they were at a safe distance from the edge. He turned and stared at the boy, seeing his bloodstained white blouse in the abdomen region as his jacket had stayed in the car. — Vernon, can you do me a favor?

— Sure, what do you need?

— I need you to bring me my backpack and fill it with lots of flowers. — He asked, opening a small smile. — The most beautiful flowers. 

— Of course, Hao.

Vernon then waited for the boy to sit on the ground and then returned to the vehicle, picking up the boy's backpack. He sneezed as he entered the field and ducked down to pick up the flowers, raising his gaze and staring at the redhead, who was still sitting down and gave him another smile. He threw him a smile back and returned to harvest the flowers, making sure to pick the biggest and most beautiful. He stood up, drying the sweat from his forehead.

— Okay, Hao, what now?

With his back to himself, the redhead was at the tip of the plateau. I knew that down there was nothing but stones that made up the enormous depression beneath the flower field. One misstep and it was all over. The brunette widened his eyes and then dropped his backpack, limping towards the older one.

—Minghao, no! — He cried, his heart beating fast.

With an even bigger smile, tears began to flow from Minghao's eyes as the boy approached more and more, with the tip of his sneakers off the plateau. He turned his back and stared at the youngest over his shoulder, laughing softly.

— Thank you. — The younger managed to read his lips.

Vernon's legs failed the moment Minghao took another step and suddenly disappeared, throwing himself off the plateau. He grasped the grass beneath his fingers and screamed, beginning to crawl toward the eaves. 

— Minghao! — Sobbed. — Minghao!

Suddenly, a jet of blood and vomit colored the geraniums and something rubbery came out of Vernon's lips, who could not identify which organ he had expelled before falling in the middle of the flower field, trembling. His ears buzzed and her fingers ran to his stained white blouse, tearing it apart.

The necrotic bite had scattered wounds and black lines all over the boy's torso, which had been bitten days ago as the army tried to rescue his friends after the zombies broke in their shelter. He fled, fearing the death, on the second day of the apocalypse and, for a moment, he thought he would be transformed, but discovered that he was immune — but, alone, he had no reason to heal his wounds. It was because he found Minghao that he decided to take care of himself.

He hugged himself and grunted, his reddish eyes staring at the broken frame fallen beside him. He reached out his trembling hand in the direction of Minghao's photo and a boy not much like him, both smiling on the same plateau that took his life. 

He began to crawl into the redhead's backpack, but his forces were becoming more and more drained. He pulled the piece of paper against his chest and squeezed it there, coughing up more blood and smiling once more for the last time.

— I did it, Hao... — He murmured, before closing his eyes forever. — I harvested... the most beautiful flowers.


End file.
